Hostile Negotiation
by malic124
Summary: Inspired by the events of the Season 4 premiere. Anchor Beach goes on lockdown as a student pulls a gun in the library, where John Adams Foster happens to have been studying. He tries to diffuse the situation, but will it be enough to end things peacefully?
1. Calm

The family sat around the dinner table, enjoying a great meal and each other's company. The meal was full of chatter about their lives at work, Anchor Beach and their personal lives. After dinner, the kids all helped Stef and Lena clear the table and put the dishes into the dishwasher. As they were cleaning, John felt his phone buzz in his pocket. He pulled it out and saw a text from his twin brother, Jack.

 _Hey John! My parents and I will be in town around lunchtime tomorrow. We're planning on driving around and visiting with some folks, but don't have any dinner plans. We'd love to come by or meet you all somewhere. Just let me know!_

"Who's the text from, Love?" asked Stef, noticing that John had stopped helping with the dishes.

"Jack," John said, looking up at her. "He and his parents are going to be in town around lunchtime tomorrow, but have plans until the evening. They want to know if we want to meet for dinner."

Stef glanced at Lena, who shrugged at her. "I think it's a great idea," Lena said. "We could have dinner outside where there's more room."

"Don't you think we'll be a little cramped?" asked Jesus. "I mean, just with all of us, it's pretty full."

"Yeah, but we can't be rude, Jesus," said Stef. "We should have them over for this first dinner where we're meeting all of them. My only question is: what on Earth are we going to cook for them that's going to be enough for all of us?"

"We could order takeout," Lena suggested, causing Stef to chuckle loudly.

"Oh, no," Stef said. "We are giving them a home cooked meal this first time."

"You know, I could always make my famous spaghetti," said John. Stef and Lena glanced at each other with thoughtful expressions on their face.

"Do you think you'll be able to make enough, John?" asked Lena.

"Yeah, no problem. We'll just need to have enough ingredients for me to match two batches of it. That should cover all of us, no problem. And we should have leftovers."

Stef nodded. "I can grab some things after work tomorrow," she said. "What all do you need, Love?"

"I'll make you a list."

While John pulled out a piece of paper and started scribbling down ingredients for his spaghetti recipe, the doorbell rang. Jude ran to the front door and answered it. Connor stood in the doorway.

"Hey," Jude said brightly. "Come on in. We just finished dinner and putting everything away."

"Cool," Connor said, following Jude into the kitchen. "John excited about seeing his twin tomorrow."

"Of course I am," John said, not looking up from his note. Jude and Connor giggled at John's ability to throw himself into their conversations like that. "I'll be right with you guys."

He finished writing up the ingredient list and handed it to Stef, who glanced over it.

"This everything?" she asked.

"Should be," said John, nodding. "Just get enough for two servings of all of the ingredients, and that should be plenty for everyone. Thanks, Mom."

"No problem, John," Stef said, smiling at him. "Go hang out with Jude and Connor."

John turned to Jude and Connor. "Sorry to keep you waiting," he said. "But you two know me, I have to get the spaghetti recipe exactly right."

Jude and Connor nodded, grinning at John, who pulled out his phone again and responded to Jack's text with a note explaining the plan for the next day.

"I'm so excited to meet Jack," Connor said as he followed Jude and John outside to the backyard patio. They sat down together, Jude and Connor holding hands.

"Me, too," said John. "I'm really glad that everyone is going to get to meet him and his parents."

"Have you met his parents yet?" Connor asked.

"Briefly," John said, sitting back and putting his feet up on the table. "We had a quick lunch before they had to leave when they were visiting this summer. David, Jack's dad, had to get back to work on a case. He's a lawyer."

"What does he do?" Jude asked.

"Interestingly enough, he prosecutes sex crimes," said John thoughtfully. "If Loomis had attacked me in Los Angeles instead, we might not be sitting here right now. David, Margaret and Jack would have found me then. Things would be way different than they are now."

"How about Margaret?" Connor asked. "What does she do?"

"She's a nurse at a hospital in LA," said John. "She helps deliver babies in pediatrics and helps the mothers care for their babies when they are first born."

"They sound like great people," Connor said.

"They are," John replied, nodding. "And Jack is wonderful."

"What's he like?" asked Jude. "I didn't get a chance to meet him last time."

"He's a bit like me, to be honest," John said. "Super nice guy, not afraid to be assertive, always wants to help other people. He told me the last time he was here that he wants to get into politics. Or maybe be a lawyer."

"Does he look like you?" Connor asked.

John nodded, pulling out his phone. He opened up the photos app on his phone and scrolled to a photo of him and Jack at dinner during Jack's last visit.

"He's on the left," John said, pointing out Jack. "We took this after dinner before he and his parents had to leave."

"Not bad," Connor said with a sly look at John. "You're almost as good looking as him," he added with a devilish laugh.

"Excuse me?" John retorted with an equally mischievous look on his face. "Clearly, I'm the better looking one."

They all laughed at that as Lena stepped onto the patio with them.

"What's so funny?" she asked.

"John thinks highly of himself," explained Connor. "I told him Jack's the better looking one, but he didn't seem to agree," he added, laughing again with Jude.

"Well, I may be biased, but I'm inclined to agree with John," Lena said, giving John a kiss on the forehead."

"Thanks, Mama," cooed John.

"Anything for you, my dear," Lena replied. "Now, come on. We're gonna start a movie."

The boys followed Lena into the house and gathered with the rest of the family in the living room. Jude and Connor sat next to each other on the couch, holding hands. John sat next to Connor and pulled a blanket over himself, knowing he might fall asleep during the movie. Stef entered the living room carrying two bowls of popcorn. She handed one to Brandon, before offering the other to Lena. She then pointed the remote at the TV and hit play, sitting back and relaxing with the family.


	2. Code Blue

John sat in the library at Anchor Beach, working on a project for his English class. He was eagerly anticipating Jack's visit that evening and wasn't focusing on his project as much as he should have. As he worked, he noticed a middle aged man walk into the library and speak to the librarian, who pointed at Adam Rawlins, a boy in John's class. The man then ran up to Adam and seemed to get into a heated argument with him.

Needing a book for his project, John stood up and walked near where Adam and the older man were arguing. He tried to ignore them, but with their voices growing louder, it was difficult.

"Why won't you just tell me where you put it, Adam?" the older man asked while John searched for his book.

"Why the hell do you need it, Dad?" Adam asked, sounding annoyed. "You don't hunt. You have literally no use for it. Why are you asking me about it?"

"Because who else would have my gun?"

"Fine, you want your damn gun?" said Adam, bending down and reaching into his backpack for something. John looked up in shock as Andrew pulled a handgun from his bag. "Here it is!" Adam yelled, pointing the gun at his father.

"Gun!" John shouted. Everyone looked up from what they were doing and noticed Adam pointing the gun at his father. Screams echoed through the library and things went flying as students scrambled to get out. John backed away from Adam and his father and ran behind the library counter, where the librarian had ducked when she saw the gun.

"Call Lena," John breathed, attempting to keep as quiet as possible. "We've got to put the school on lockdown."

The librarian nodded and pulled her cell phone out, dialing as quickly as she could.

* * *

Lena looked over at her office phone as it rang. She put down her pen and answered the phone.

"Anchor Beach, Vice Principle Lena Adams Foster," she said.

"Lena!" came an exasperated voice on the other end.

"Martha?" Lena asked. "What is it?"

"There's a student in the library with a gun," whispered Martha. "A man came in and confronted him about it and the student pulled the gun. I think it's the boy's father."

"Oh my god!" Lena shouted, standing up from her desk and waving her arms madly at Monte, who came running in.

"What's going on?" asked Monte, sounding worried.

"We have put the school on lockdown," Lena yelled. "There's a student in the library with a gun!"

"Oh no!" cried Monte.

"You make the announcement, I'll get the doors locked and call Stef," Lena instructed. Monte nodded and ran back to her office and set up the PA system to put the school on lockdown. "Martha, you stay calm in there. Keep your phone with you, but don't use it unless there's an emergency."

"OK," Martha whispered before ending the call.

Lena pulled out and cell phone and quickly dialed Stef.

* * *

"Hey, Love," Stef said before Lena cut her off.

"Stef!" wailed Lena, sounding like she was breathing fast. "You need to get here as quick as you can!"

"What's going on, Lena?" Stef demanded.

"There's a student in the library with a gun. We're putting the school on lockdown right now."

Stef stood up from her desk. "Son of a bitch," she whispered. "You stay right were you are, you hear me? Don't go for the kids. Just get the building on lockdown and we'll get that as soon as we can."

"OK," Lena breathed, trying to keep calm. "I love you."

"I love you, too," Stef said, hanging up her phone. She turned to Mike, who had noticed her stand up and rushed over to her. "We've got to get as many officers as possible to Anchor Beach."

"What's going on, Stef?" asked Mike.

"There's a student with a gun at Anchor Beach in the library. They're going on lockdown."

Mike nodded and turned to the rest of the station officers.

"Let's move out, everyone," he yelled. "Anchor Beach is going on lockdown because of a student with a gun."

The officers scrambled to get their gear ready. Mike helped Stef get her bulletproof vest on and rushed with her to their patrol car, speeding toward Anchor Beach.

* * *

Brandon, Mat and Lou stood together rehearsing one of their songs. As they entered the bridge, they suddenly heard an alarm blaring through the school. They stopped and slowly lowered their instruments.

"What's going on?" Lou asked.

" _Code Blue, Code Blue,_ " came Monte's voice over the PA system. " _This is not a drill, I repeat, this is not a drill. Code Blue."_

"Quick, we've got to lock this room up!" Brandon yelled, pushing his piano to the side and rushing to pick up a chair. Mat joined him and they both started piling chairs in front of the music room door.

"What's a Code Blue?" demanded Lou as she watched Brandon and Mat rush through the room.

"Gunman on campus," Mat said shortly. Lou gasped and started to help them move chairs in front of the door."

* * *

Callie looked up from her math book as she heard Monte's announcement over the PA system. As soon as she heard "Code Blue," she tossed her book aside and grabbed her chair.

"Quick!" she shouted. "We've got to barricade this room as quickly as we can."

The rest of the class all stood up, each student grabbing a chair and rushing to put the chairs in front of the door.

"Good job, everyone," Callie yelled over the PA announcement. "Everyone work together and let's get this done!"

* * *

Jesus worked with his fellow classmates to secure the room he was in. Everyone was in a rush to get chairs stacked in front of the classroom door that nobody else was paying attention to the rest of the room.

"Get the lights!" his teacher shouted.

Without hesitating, Jesus ran to the light switched near the front door and turned off all of the lights while his classmates finished piling the chairs in front of the door. He dived to the ground once the door was blocked sufficiently.

"Everyone stay calm," he whispered. "We're going to be OK."

* * *

Mariana rushed to the back of her English classroom with Timothy, hurriedly pulling on the window strings to lower the blinds. She then closed each of the blinds on the windows, so that coupled with the lights being shut off, the room was nearly pitch black. Once the room was secured, Mariana got onto the ground and crawled to the front of the classroom and joined Timothy.

"Are you OK?" Timothy whispered.

"I'm fine," Mariana breathed back. "Is everyone here? We should start taking attendance."

Timothy nodded and reached over to his desk for his clipboard.

* * *

Jude and Connor sat next to each other in their science classroom, holding hands. Their teacher had just finished calling roll and everyone in the classroom was accounted for.

"You OK?" mumbled Connor.

"I'm fine," Jude replied in a hushed tone. "Are you OK?" Connor nodded at him. "I'm gonna check on everyone else," Jude added, pulling out his phone and sending texts to each of his siblings.

* * *

Mike brought the patrol car to a quick halt in front of Anchor Beach. He and Stef ran out of it, running toward the other officers who had already arrived. A man dressed in a suit walked away from the officers he was talking to when he saw Stef and Mike.

"Are you Stef and Mike Foster?" he asked.

"Stef Adams Foster and Mike Foster," Stef said, out of breath from running.

"Captain Steven Richards with Hostage Negotiations," the man in the suit said. "I came here as soon as your commanding officer called this out. What do we know?"

"It sounds like the gunmen is in the library," explained Mike. "Stef got a call from her wife, the vice principal, who told her they had a student in the library with a gun.

"I told her to put the school on lockdown right away," added Stef.

"Good," Richards said. "That was the best thing to do. The alarm just stopped sounding a few moments before you both got here, so we should soon get an idea of who's inside the library."

"Stef!" called one of her fellow officers, who was running up to them, holding out a Walkie-talkie. "It's your wife," he said when he reached them, handing Stef the radio.

"Excuse me," said Stef, stepping away from Mike and Richards.

"Lena?" she said into the radio.

"I'm here!" Lena whispered back. "Are you OK?"

"I'm fine, what about you?"

"I'm OK; Monte's here with me. We locked up the office as soon as we started putting the school on lockdown."

"Thank god," Stef breathed. "What about the kids?"

"We're just getting that back," Lena replied. "Brandon is with Lou and Mat in the music room, they're OK. Callie, Mariana and Jesus are in the classrooms accounted for. Jude is with Connor in his science classroom."

There was a pause before Stef spoke again.

"What about John?" she demanded.

"No word yet," replied Lena.

At that, Stef suddenly felt her cell phone vibrate. She pulled it out and saw a text from John. Frantic, she unlocked her phone and read the message.

 _Gunman is in the library. So am I. I'm OK._

Stef sighed in exasperation and relief before she held up the walkie-talkie again. "I just got a text from John," she said quietly.

"Where is he?" asked Lena anxiously.

"He's in the library," Stef replied.


	3. Evacuations

Jude glanced down at his phone for what seemed the millionth time, a worried look on his face.

"What is it?" whispered Connor.

"Everyone has texted me back saying they're OK, except John," said Jude quietly. "I'm starting to get worried."

Connor nodded. "I get it," he said, putting an arm around Jude. "But, he probably has his phone turned off. Or maybe it's in his backpack and he hasn't checked it. He'll be OK."

"I hope so," Jude replied.

* * *

Lena sat with Monte in her office, waiting for SWAT to enter the room and take them outside.

"Are your kids OK?" Monte asked.

"Most of them," Lena replied. "Everyone is in a classroom except for John. He's in the library."

"Oh my god," Monte said, putting a hand up to her mouth. "Is he OK?"

"I think so. He texted Stef to tell her he's in the library with the shooter. And we haven't heard any reports of shots fired."

At that, there was loud banging on the door leading into Lena's office.

"SWAT!" yelled a voice. "We're coming in."

Lena and Monte watched as the chairs they had piled in front of the door were pushed away by SWAT team members armed with AR style guns.

"Is it just you two?" asked the SWAT man leading the team.

"Yes," replied Monte.

"Stand up and keep your hands on your head while we evacuate you," he ordered. Lena and Monte stood up and followed his instructions. "Once we've got you two out of the building, we'll start evacuating the classrooms."

They followed the SWAT team from the building. The trip normally would have taken about two minutes, but to them, it felt like an eternity. Finally, they reached the front entrance of the school and were hurried across the road. Stef and Mike stood waiting next to their patrol car, waiting for them. Lena ran up to Stef and they embraced.

"Are you OK?" demanded Stef.

"I'm fine," Lena replied, breaking up the hug. "What about John? Have you heard anything else?"

Stef shook her head. "Just the text telling me that he's in the library with the gunmen. I don't know who it is and I don't want to send him a reply just in case it sets the shooter off."

"So how do we get to him?" asked Lena.

"We have to wait until the school is evacuated completely," Stef replied. "Once everyone is out of the building, we can see about getting to the library and trying to talk the gunman down."

"I don't like this," said Lena.

Stef pulled her into another hug. "It's gonna be OK, Love. Let's just get all of the kids out of the building first and then we'll get to John."

* * *

"How long until we get out of here?" Lou asked in a nervous voice. She, Brandon and Mat were all sitting together on the floor.

"As soon as the SWAT team has figured out that the whole school is on lockdown and nobody is in the halls, they'll come and get us," Brandon replied in a voice barely louder than a whisper.

"Who do you think it is? The gunmen?" asked Mat.

"No idea," said Brandon. "I doubt they even know who it is. They could be anywhere in the building, which is why we've got to wait until the SWAT team comes and gets us. It's the only way to make sure that we get out of here without getting hurt."

Suddenly, there was movement at the music room door. The three of them tensed up and slowly crawled away from it before a voice called out to them.

"SWAT team!" came a woman's voice. "Is there anyone in there?"

"Yes!" Brandon yelled back. "Three of us in here."

"OK, stay back until we get in there," the woman replied.

The three of them waited as the SWAT team moved through their barricade. It only took a few seconds before the team entered, glancing around the room with their guns raised.

"Hey, guys, it's gonna be OK," said the woman. "I need you to stand up and put your hands on your head and follow us out of here. Just stay calm and you'll be out of the building in a jiffy."

Brandon, Mat and Lou stood up, putting their hands on their head. Once the SWAT team was assured that the room was clear, they followed the woman out of the music room and through the halls. There was an eerie silence in the halls. It wasn't clear which rooms had been evacuated and which hadn't. All doors were closed and nobody was in the hallways.

Once outside, the SWAT team led them to Stef and Mike, who both pulled Brandon into a hug.

"Are you OK?" Stef asked, sounding worried.

"I'm fine," Brandon replied. "Where's everyone else?"

"Come with me," said Mike, pulling them away from the patrol car and leading them over to the safe area, where Lena was waiting with Callie, Jesus and Mariana.

* * *

Jude glanced at his phone again.

"Anything?" asked Connor.

Jude shook his head. "I'm starting to get worried," he said.

"Don't worry," Connor replied, grabbing one of Jude's hands and holding onto it. "We're gonna get out of here soon and then we can find out where John is, OK?"

Jude nodded as the SWAT team banged on their door, asking how many students were in the room. Their science teacher replied and after a few minutes, they were all standing up, hands on their heads and following the SWAT team out of the building.

Outside, Jude and Connor ran up to Stef, who pulled them both into a hug.

"Mom, I've been trying to text John to see where he is," Jude said, exasperated. "Have you heard from him at all?"

Stef hesitated before she answered Jude. "Yes, Jude," she replied in a heavy tone. "He's in the library. The gunman is in there, too."

Jude gasped and seemed to lose his balance. Connor grabbed onto him and held him up. "Oh my god," breathed Jude. "We have to get him out of there."

"And we will, Love," Stef said soothingly. "As soon as we get everyone clear of the building, we'll be able to go in there and see what we can do in the library without anyone getting hurt."

Jude nodded. "OK," he said, as he stood up by himself again.

"Connor, can you take him over to Lena and others, please?" Stef asked.

"Yeah, of course," Connor said, grabbing Jude's hand and starting to pull Jude away. Suddenly, Jude and Stef both felt their phones vibrate. They quickly pulled them out and saw identical messages from John.

 _The gunman is Adam Rawlins. He got into an argument with an older man, I think it's his dad, when he pulled the gun. He hasn't hurt anybody yet and says he doesn't plan to. I'm all right._

Jude and Stef both breathed sighs of relief before Stef's phone vibrated with an incoming call from John. She answered the phone and put it on speaker.

"Everything's OK," John whispered as quietly as possible. "He's holding the gun at his side. I don't think he's going to shoot anyone. I'm going to try and talk him down so we can end this peacefully. I love you."

Stef and Jude listened as their heard John stand up and walk away from his phone. It was clear he had put the outgoing call on speaker and set the phone down somewhere where it would pick up everything he said.

"Adam, I want to talk to you for a minute," they heard him say calmly.

"OK," replied a voice, presumably that of Adam Rawlins.

"Stef!" called a voice from behind them. She and Jude whipped around and saw Jack being blocked by an officer. They hurried over to them.

"Son, you can't be any closer to the building," the officer said.

"It's OK, officer," Stef said. "This is my son's twin. He needs to know what's going on."

"He's all yours," the officer replied, walking away from them.

"What's going on?" Jack demanded. "I heard on the TV that there's been a shooting here."

"No, no," Stef replied. "Nobody's been shot and no shots have been fired. We put the school on lockdown after we got word about a student with a gun. We're evacuating the school right now."

"Where's John?" asked Jack. "I want to see him."

Stef hesitated, glancing at Jude. Jude sighed before he answered.

"He's still inside the school, Jack" Jude confessed. "He's in the library right now with the gunmen. He's going to try and talk him down."

"Oh my god," Jack whispered.


	4. Negotiations

Some knocking came from the main library door.

"John Adams Foster!" came a voice. "This is SWAT. Is everyone in the library all right?"

"We're good in here," John yelled back. "Adam hasn't hurt anyone. We're going to make sure this ends peacefully. You folks stay out there." John paused. "Is Mike Foster out there?"

"Yeah, John, I'm here," Mike answered back. "Your Mom wanted me to check and make sure you're OK."

"All good, Mike. Everyone in here is OK."

John turned his attention back to Adam.

"Adam, I know you want to do the right thing here," John said calmly.

Adam kept the gun held to his side while John talked to him. His father, Joseph, stood in front of him with his arms raised.

"I do," Adam said. "I didn't mean for any of this to happen."

"I know," replied John. "That's why we have to make sure things end peacefully here." John hesitated before he continued. "Adam, why don't we let the others here in the library leave?"

"And how do I know they want shoot me as soon as the door opens?" Adam demanded, starting to raise the gun.

"They won't," John assured him. "The SWAT officers and the police want to make sure this ends without anyone getting hurt."

"I don't believe you."

"Adam, put the gun on me," said John. "This way they know not to take any action. My uncle is not going to let me get shot and he will make sure that the other officers don't hurt you."

Adam paused for a moment before nodding and raising the gun. "OK," he said. "Everyone gets out except for you," he added, pointing the gun at John.

John nodded. "OK, everyone in here is to get out as soon as the officer comes in here. Is that understood?"

There was a general murmur of agreement before John called out again.

"Mike!" he called.

"Yeah, I'm here," Mike yelled back.

"Adam is going to let all of the other students and staff out of the library," John explained. "He's going to keep his gun trained on me while you get everyone out."

* * *

Outside the library, Mike glanced at the SWAT officers.

"No funny business," he said to the leader of the team, who nodded back at him.

Mike pulled out his gun and handed it to the leader before putting his hand on the library's door.

"Coming in," Mike said. "I'm unarmed."

Mike opened the door and kept his hands raised as he entered the library. John stood with his arms up about 20 feet to his left. Adam kept the gun trained on John's chest as Mike walked through the library.

"You OK, John?" asked Mike as he started to point the others out of the library.

"We're all good here," John replied. "Adam is not going to hurt anyone."

"Make this fast," Adam interjected, gesturing with the gun for Mike to move faster. Mike followed this command and quickly evacuated everyone out of the library.

* * *

Once outside, Mike led the students and staff in the library toward the evacuation area where the rest of the school stood waiting. When he approached the patrol car, Stef stood up from behind it with Lena.

"How is he?" Stef demanded.

"He's OK," Mike replied. "John is strong. He was able to convince the gunman to let everyone out of the library. He may just be able to end this peacefully." Stef and Lena sighed in relief. "I'm going to go back in there. You two stay here. I'll let you know if anything changes."

* * *

"You did the right thing, Adam," John said in a soft voice. "Getting everyone out of here safely is going to help you in the long run."

"It can't be that much help," Adam replied, lowering the gun again. "I brought a gun to school!"

"I know. And, yes, that is bad by itself. But help me, Adam. Help me understand how we got here today."

"Ask him," Adam said, gesturing to Joseph, who was sitting on the floor to his right. "He's the one who caused on all this."

"And how exactly was I supposed to do that?" Joseph demanded.

"Well, for starters, you had a gun in the house that was clearly easy to access," said John before Adam could speak.

"A lot of people have guns in their house," Joseph replied, sounding angry.

"And most of those people don't make it easy for their children to get ahold of their guns."

"Stop," Adam interrupted, the anger evident in his voice. John and Joseph both shut their mouths. "It doesn't matter why I took the gun. I'm still going to jail."

"Adam, if you had some sort of motive for taking your father's gun, the police and a judge would understand why they took it," John explained.

"Would they?" Adam asked, sounding exasperated. "They would understand why a teenager stole his father's gun?"

"They would," John replied, nodding. "If you explain why you took your father's gun, they might understand your situation."

Adam hesitated, before he faced his father again. "Tell him, Dad," he said. "Tell them what you did to Amanda."

"What are you talking about?" Joseph asked, his anger matching Adam's.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about. She told me last night, Dad, about all of the horrible things you did to her. Why she and Mom really had to leave."

"I don't know what you're talking about," said Joseph, standing up. "Your Mother left me because she didn't like me anymore."

"Really, Dad? That's the best you've got?" asked Adam, raising the gun and pointing it toward Joseph.

"Don't do anything, Adam," John warned. "Just tell me what happened."

"You know what you did, Dad. It's disgusting."

"I didn't do anything to your sister," Joseph snarled. "She's a liar. And she's crazy. I never did anything."

"LIAR!" Adam screamed.

"It's the truth!" yelled Joseph. "Your sister is a liar and a manipulator, just like your mother."

"SHUT UP!" Adam screeched before the gun went off and a bullet struck his father, who let out a scream in pain.

"No!" John cried, rushing to Joseph's aid.

* * *

Stef stood waiting with Lena when she heard a fellow officer call out, "Shots fired!" Without hesitating, Stef pulled her gun out of its holster and raced toward the building.

"Stef!" Lena called after her. Stef ignored Lena's protests "Stef! No! Stef!"

"Mama!" Jude yelled, running over to Lena. "What happened?"

"I don't know," Lena whispered back. "I think some shots were fired."

"Oh my god we have to go in," Jude said, turning to run inside. Lena grabbed onto him and pulled him away from the entrance.

"It's going to be OK, Jude," she sighed, pulling Jude into a hug. "It's going to be OK."


	5. Endgame

Stef ran down the halls toward the library, holding her gun in her hand. When she reached the library, she found the SWAT team getting their weapons ready to storm the library, with Mike yelling for them not to do anything. When Mike saw Stef, he shouted at the other officers, "Move aside, John's mom is here!" Stef pushed past the SWAT officers and reached the library door.

"John!" she screamed. "Are you OK?"

"I'm fine!" John yelled back. "Adam's father was the one hit. Nobody else got hurt."

"How's his father?" Stef asked. "Is he hurt badly?"

"The bullet hit his leg. He'll be fine if he gets medical attention soon."

"We've got paramedics here who can help. I'll have someone bring them in," Stef said before turning to the SWAT officers. "Get a paramedic in here, now," she said to the leader of the team, who nodded at one of his other officers. The officer turned and ran toward the entrance.

"How are you going to play this now?" Mike asked to the leader.

"We're going to have to go in," the leader replied.

"Absolutely not," Stef interrupted. "Not with my son in there with the gunman."

"It's not your call, Officer. The gunman has fired a shot. We have to go in there to make sure things end now."

"Sir, please," Mike pleaded. "Listen to Stef. John has a rapport with the gunman. He's gone this long without shooting anyone. He even let everyone else out of the library. John can get him out here without any more violence."

"Please," Stef added.

The SWAT leader sighed and nodded as the paramedics arrived with a stretcher.

"John, the paramedics are here," Stef called into the library.

* * *

Inside, John turned to Adam, who had a look of shock on his face, the gun at his side again.

"Adam, your dad needs help now," John explained.

"No," said Adam. "He doesn't deserve it."

"I know you think that, Adam. Whatever he did to your sister is absolutely wrong, I agree, but shooting him was not the answer."

"I didn't mean to."

John nodded. "I get it," he said, standing up. "But if you want me to help you, you need to help yourself first by letting the paramedics come and take your Dad, Adam. The paramedics will take him and then it will just be us and we can keep talking."

John and Adam waited in silence for a few seconds while Joseph moaned in pain before Adam nodded.

"OK, let the paramedics come in. But no cops."

"Mom!" John yelled.

"Yeah, John," Stef's voice replied.

"You can send the paramedics in to take Joseph," John said. "But Adam doesn't want anyone else in here."

There were a few moments of silence before Stef replied again. "They're coming in," she said, and the door to the library opened. Two paramedics rushed in with a stretcher and ran toward John and Joseph.

"He's here," John explained. "It his leg."

The paramedics bent down next to Joseph and examined him.

"Joseph, can you hear us?" the female paramedic asked.

"Yes," Joseph struggled to say. "Get me out of here."

"Ready?" the female paramedic asked. Her partner nodded and together, they lifted Joseph onto the stretcher, ignoring Joseph's groans. Once they had secured Joseph, the paramedics wheeled the stretcher out of the library, closing the door behind them.

John turned back to Adam.

"You did the right thing, Adam," he said in a gentle voice.

"It doesn't matter," Adam retorted. "I still shot him."

"Yes, but letting him get medical attention will help you in the long run." Adam snorted in disbelief. "Believe me," John continued. "There are a lot of people out there who don't care if you live or die. But, Adam, I care, OK?"

"Why?"

"You don't deserve to die for a simple mistake, Adam. Whatever your father did to your sister was clearly horrible. Why don't you tell me about it?"

Adam sighed before he answered. "Amanda told me all about it last night. We used to play this game with our Dad; it was called _Monster in the Sheets_. He and I stopped playing it when I was like eight. But he kept playing with Amanda, even as she grew up. Then, he started to mess with her."

"He raped your sister," John finished for him.

"Yeah, he did," Adam said. "It's disgusting. I just wanted him to pay for what he did to his own daughter."

"I get it, Adam. I've been exactly where your sister is. I was sexually assaulted once. It was horrible. But, surviving the abuse is the hardest part. From what you told your father, your mother got your sister out. That means she survived the abuse. She will survive the recovery."

"So, you understand?" Adam asked.

"I do, Adam," John replied. "I understand why you took the gun and why you shot your father. And a jury, can understand it, too."

"No," Adam interrupted. "No jury can understand this. I'm just as messed up as my dad."

"That's not true."

"You'll say anything now, won't you?"

"No," John said. "We can still end this peacefully, Adam. I promise you. And that's what I want."

"But why? I'm just as messed up as my dad. I took his gun for god's sake. I shot him."

"I know," John said, the pleading evident in his voice. "But listen to me, Adam. You took his gun to give your sister something she could never have on her own: closure."

"What do you mean?"

"Earlier, you wanted your dad to admit to what he did. That would have brought both of you closure. It would have shown your sister that you were on her side. As a survivor, there is nothing more that she needs."

Adam signed. "Would support truly help her?

John nodded at him. "You know what I've seen is that people who have gone through unfair, horrific experiences is that they have this will," he said. "And when they get support; a chance, they cannot only survive, they can thrive. By getting your father to admit to what he did, you can help your sister get closure and get the justice she deserves."

"I didn't mean for any of this to happen," Adam said, raising the gun and unloading the clip from it.

"I know you didn't," John said. "You were trying to do right by your sister. People will understand your actions. All you have to do now, Adam, is put the gun down and walk out the door with me. End this peacefully and you and your sister will both have a chance."

Adam sighed and threw the gun and clip to the floor. He raised his hands in surrender. John walked closer to him.

"Put your hands on my shoulders," John said. "This will show the officers out there that you are not armed."

John turned around and Adam put his hands on John's shoulders and walked with him toward the exit.

"We're coming out!" John shouted. "He is unarmed. The gun is on the floor."

John opened the door and awkwardly walked out of the library with Adam. A few steps outside the library, the SWAT officers pulled Adam off John and tackled him to the ground.

"Easy! I said he was unarmed!" John yelled to them as Adam was placed in cuffs.

Mike pulled John away from Adam. "It's OK," Mike said. "They're going to take him into custody." Mike led John over to Stef, who threw her arms around him in a tight hug.

"Are you OK?" Stef demanded.

"I'm fine," John replied.

They broke apart. "Are you sure?" Stef asked. John nodded. "Why did you try to talk him down?"

"He didn't need to die," John explained.

"What did you tell him?" asked Mike.

"The truth."

Stef accepted that as an answer and put her arms around John. "Let's go," she said. "Everyone is waiting outside." She led John outside while Mike escorted Adam out of the building and the SWAT officers secured the gun.

* * *

Once outside, Stef and John walked, arm-in-arm, toward Lena, who started crying as soon as she saw them. She extended her arms to John once he reached her and pulled him into a hug.

"It's OK," Stef whispered as the three of them embraced "It's all over."

Behind them, Jude ran as fast as he could toward John and Moms, even pushing past another officer who was walking by him. Jude threw himself onto Lena and John. John broke apart from Stef and Lena and embraced Jude. Their hug seemed like it was never going to end.

"Are you OK?" Jude demanded as he sobbed into John's shoulder.

"Yes," John replied, also starting to cry. "I'm fine."

He and Jude remained embraced for a few seconds before they broke apart as the rest of the siblings arrived. John pulled Mariana into a hug while Callie embraced Jude, kissing him on the head. Once John had hugged each of his siblings, he saw Jack running toward them. Forgetting everything else, John ran toward his twin and the two fell into a rib-cracking hug.

"I'm really glad you're here," John said as they both cried.

"I came as soon as I heard," Jack replied, holding onto John even tighter, if that were possible.

After a few minutes, the twins broke apart just as Stef and Lena finished hugging each other and the rest of the kids. They all grabbed hands as Stef led them away from the front of Anchor Beach and toward their cars, desperate to get everyone out of the area as quickly as possible.


End file.
